Michigan man, 27, stabbed to death outside strip club

3/12/2010

ERIE - A Maybee, Mich., man who was fatally stabbed in the parking lot of a Telegraph Road strip club had been involved in an earlier altercation with one of the four men suspected in the slaying, authorities said.

Michael Gorowski, 27, was stabbed early yesterday in the parking lot of Alcatraz Gentlemen's Club, 10813 Telegraph, according to Monroe County Sheriff's Office detectives.

Sgt. Heath Velliquette said four men were arrested in connection with the murder. The names of the suspects - ages 22 and 23 - were not released. They were scheduled to be arraigned today in Monroe County District Court.

The incident, which occurred after the club closed, was captured on exterior video surveillance cameras and showed that as many as five men may have been involved in the attack on the victim, investigators said.

Sergeant Velliquette said the victim was found lying in the parking lot by a club employee who had been alerted by patrons.

The knife used in the slaying was recovered in the parking lot, he said.

Mr. Gorowski was taken to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

"He was a nice kid," said John Gorowski of Maybee, who identified himself as a cousin of the victim.

Sergeant Velliquette said there was no contact between Mr. Gorowski and the suspects while they were in the strip-club, and the altercation erupted after they walked outside the establishment to go to their vehicles.

"Something was said. They began to have an incident which escalated into Mr. Gorowski being assaulted and stabbed," the detective said.

He said that investigators learned that one of the suspects and Mr. Gorowski had been involved recently in an altercation at another Monroe County establishment.

"There was a prior incident that had merit to this incident," Sergeant Velliquette said.

The four suspects are being held in the Monroe County jail.

Sergeant Velliquette said the suspects fled the parking lot in their vehicles. The first suspect was arrested about four hours after the stabbing, and the other men were taken into custody a short time later.

Investigators are looking for two other men who were in the parking lot at the time of the attack.

"There are two more people who we are interested in talking to. We are looking for them to obtain more information," Sergeant Velliquette said.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact sheriff's detectives at 734-240-7530.

Contact Mark Reiter at:

markreiter@theblade.com

or 419-724-6199.